Julian Astle writes about politics and public policy. He previously worked as director of CentreForum, the liberal think tank, and as Political Advisor to Paddy Ashdown when leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is @JulianAstle on Twitter.

Is Nick Clegg's time as Lib Dem leader coming to an end?

Nick Clegg, shortly after casting his vote in the AV referendum (Photo: Getty)

Predictably, considering the drubbing his party has received at the polls, people are today asking whether Nick Clegg is safe in his job as Liberal Democrat leader.

Let me save you all time: he is.

This is undoubtedly a difficult day for Nick Clegg, but he still enjoys two huge advantages. First, the coalition is supported by the political equivalent of the "automatic stabilisers" which ensure that the weaker the coalition partners become, the stronger the coalition gets. Why? Because just as turkeys don't vote for Christmas, so politicians don't trigger general elections if they think they or their party colleagues might lose their seats. And with the Lib Dems' poll rating going through the floor and the Conservatives still trailing the Labour party in general election voting intention, neither side has an incentive to pull the plug.

Second, the fact that hasn't (and won't) change is that nobody, Clegg's most vociferous critics included, has got a better strategy either for the Liberal Democrats or the country. Last year's general election dealt Clegg an almost impossibly difficult hand, but that's the hand the party has got, whoever leads it.

"Couldn't the Lib Dems remain in government but change their leader?", some wonder, posing what is a strong contender for the "Questions to which the answer is No" series. Should a leadership election take place, the candidates for the deputy prime minister's job would have to take three months out to tour the country, playing to the gallery, desperately trying to convince party members that they dislike David Cameron and George Osborne more than their rivals do. Not only would they make themselves and their party look ridiculous, but they would probably kill the coalition in the process.

So as the debate about the future of the Lib Dems unfolds, let's not get sidetracked by the idea that Nick Clegg's job is under threat.